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Drug Information Handbook: A Comprehensive Resource for All Clinicians and

Healthcare Professionals, 15th Edition

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 NEW PUBLIC ATIONS
BOOK REVIEWS
Drug Information Handbook: A Comprehensive Resource for All
Clinicians and Healthcare Professionals, 15th Edition
By Charles F Lacy RPh PharmD FCSHP, Lora L Armstrong RPh PharmD
BCPS, Morton P Goldman RPh PharmD BCPS, and Leonard L Lance
RPh BSPharm. Published by Lexi-Comp, Hudson, OH, 2007. ISBN 978-1-
59195-203-9. Paperbound, 2148 pp. (23 × 11 cm), $56.95. Members $55.
www.lexi.com
Therapeutic Area/Content: This book is an up-to-date compendium
of concise drug information monographs.
Format: Serving as the annually updated print version of the Lexi-
Comp ONLINE (Internet-based) and Lexi-Comp ON-HAND (Personal
Digital Assistant) products, all of this handbook’s information is derived
from the Lexi-Drugs database.
Audience: The Drug Information Handbook is intended to be a
handy quick reference for all clinicians and healthcare professionals.
Purpose: Key clinically relevant information on commonly used
drugs is presented in a succinct, user-friendly format that is intended to
be useful to healthcare providers at the point of care so that they can
make more informed decisions, reduce adverse drug events, and deliver
better patient care.
Content: The book is organized into 4 sections: introduction, drug
monographs, appendix, and pharmacologic drug class index. Compris-
ing the vast majority of the book, the drug monograph section is ar-
ranged alphabetically by generic drug name; each monograph contains
up to 33 standardized fields of key information. Being a concise, quick
reference, the book does not include information on every therapeutic
agent available, nor does it provide detailed information or references for
each monograph. The appendix contains a wide variety of treatment
guidelines, comparative drug charts, nomograms, and reference tables
that may be useful in providing patient care.
Usability: The book is easy to use and well organized. In the mono-
graph section, the alphabetical listing of drugs allows for quick retrieval
of information without accessing an index. The use of page headers,
bolded text, and a standardized format allows the user to identify specific
information rapidly. In the appendix, an index allows for retrieval of the
desired nomogram or guideline. Furthermore, extensive cross-referenc-
ing between the monograph and appendix section helps facilitate use of
the appendix.
Highlights: Of particular interest is the wide variety of practical infor-
mation found in the appendix.
Limitations: As mentioned above, this book is not intended to be all-
inclusive and should not take the place of standard comprehensive drug
reference texts. Although the appendix provides much practical informa-
tion, the average user is not likely to fully utilize this information without
first studying the content of the appendix to ascertain what is available.
From a practical standpoint, with all of the information it now con-
tains, the Drug Information Handbook has become quite unwieldy;
weighing nearly 3 pounds and measuring 2 1/4 inches thick, it is no longer
realistic to carry this book in the white coat pocket. Lastly, the print ver-
sion is only updated annually, in contrast with the electronic versions,
which are updated with new content daily.
www.theannals.com The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
Comparison with Previous Edition or Version: The 15th edition in-
cludes 30 new drugs and many drug monograph updates. In addition, US
black box warnings are now highlighted within the monographs and
many combination products have been added. Lastly, the appendix has
been updated with new information on comparative drug charts, immu-
nization recommendations, malaria treatment, antiretroviral therapy for
HIV infection, and antibiotic treatment of adults with infective endo-
carditis.
Reviewer’s Summary: Overall, this is a well-written book that pro-
vides succinct information and guidance for clinicians, pharmacists, and
students. It is of greatest benefit to the practicing clinician who desires a
quick drug reference at the point of care and prefers a print publication.
For medical reference libraries, the Drug Information Handbook does
not replace more comprehensive drug information references that are
also available either in print or online, such as Drug Facts and Compar-
isons or AHFS Drug Information, but could serve as a complement for
quick retrieval of key information.
Reviewer: Noelle K Hasson PharmD, Pharmacy Benefits Manager,
Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
Published Online, 9 Oct 2007, www.theannals.com
DOI 10.1345/aph.1K330
Pharmacovigilance, 2nd Edition
Edited by Ronald D Mann MD FRCP FRCGP FFPM FISPE Hon Mem-
ber ISoP and Elizabeth B Andrews MPH PhD. Published by John Wiley
& Sons, Ltd., West Sussex, England, 2007. ISBN 978-0- 470-01803-3.
Clothbound, xviii + 686 pp. (25.5 × 19.5 cm), $315.00. www.wiley.com
Therapeutic Area: This book is a comprehensive overview of the
growing field of pharmacovigilance—the “study of marketed drugs ex-
amined under the practical conditions of clinical use in what are usually
large populations.”
Format: Pharmacovigilance is a hardcover volume written by 98
contributors from academia, governmental agencies, industry, and pri-
vate consultancies. The book, consisting of 5 parts and a total of 52
chapters, is supplemented with numerous data tables and occasional fig-
ures in black and white.
Audience: The book’s first edition was apparently written for those
involved in pharmacovigilance practice and research at all levels, and the
current edition would clearly serve the same audience.
Purpose: The purpose of this edition is to update the original book
with respect to some of the important international developments in
pharmacovigilance that have occurred in the past several years, includ-
ing regulatory and legal changes, pharmaceutical risk management, and
increased regional monitoring. Particular attention is paid to the recent
events and controversies surrounding the use of selective serotonin-reup-
take inhibitors (SSRIs) in children and adolescents, as well as the safety
of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and of cyclooxygenase-2 reduc-
tase (COX-2) inhibitors.
Content: The 5 parts of this text are: Part I, “The Basis of Pharma-
covigilance” (11 chapters, including legal, ethical, and international is-
n 2007 November, Volume 41 n 1919
sues and case examples); Part II, “Signal Generation” (20 chapters on
signal detection, monitoring and reporting mechanisms, statistical meth-
ods, and databases); Part III, “Pharmacovigilance and Selected System
Organ Classes” (11 chapters on adverse drug reactions [ADRs], includ-
ing those affecting the skin, with 9 color photographs of cutaneous
ADRs; gastrointestinal tract and liver; hematologic system; eyes, kid-
neys, and cardiovascular system; as well as issues in children and the el-
derly); Part IV, “Key Current Topics” (5 chapters on risk management,
HRT, COX-2 inhibitors, and an introduction to pharmionics); and Part V,
“Lessons and Directions” (4 chapters on teaching and other specific is-
sues, including pharmacogenetics and ADRs).
Usability: Although not a handbook, the book is organized in a clear
and concise manner and it is easy to find information on a particular top-
ic from the table of contents or the index. The chapters are reasonably
well referenced and up-to-date.
Highlights: This edition remains an excellent and comprehensive
overview of the field of pharmacovigilance. The original topics covered
are all informative ones, and the chapters on monitoring and databases
are particularly useful in identifying and assessing approaches to signal
detection. The history and description of the pharmacovigilance program
in the Netherlands (Chapter 22) will be of particular interest to pharma-
cists, as the profession has played a major role in the initiation and ad-
vancement of the Dutch system. In addition, there is the valuable inclu-
sion of a chapter on pharmionics (Chapter 48), a new field that investi-
gates the factors and outcomes associated with patient adherence and
exposure to prescribed medication. Finally, the chapters on the recent
cases involving SSRIs in children and adolescents, HRT, and COX-2 in-
hibitors (Chapters 45– 47) are valuable contributions, as these cases pro-
vide important lessons for the future.
Reviewer’s Summary: This is a must-have resource for professionals
involved in pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance practice and
research. In Chapter 49, the case is also made for the importance of edu-
cating medical and pharmacy practitioners on the need and methods for
pharmacovigilance and the roles they can play. This book would also
serve as a useful reference text for those wishing to develop a formal
course for undergraduates or graduate students.
Reviewer: Marc Levine PhD, Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, The University of British Columbia; Associate Member, De-
partment of Pharmacy, Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of British
Columbia.
Published Online, 16 Oct 2007, www.theannals.com
DOI 10.1345/aph.1K191
Patient Compliance with Medications: Issues and Opportunities
By Jack E Fincham PhD. Published by Pharmaceutical Products Press,
an imprint of The Haworth Press Inc., Binghamton, NY, 2007. ISBN
978-0-7890-2610-1. Paperbound, xiv + 232 pp. (21.5 × 15.5 cm),
$32.95. Also available clothbound (ISBN 978-0-7890-2609-5; $59.95).
www.HaworthPress.com
Therapeutic Area: Patient Compliance with Medications reviews the
extensive literature on patient adherence, specifically addressing key is-
sues and discussing the opportunities for health professionals to assist
their patients in achieving optimal drug use.
Format: This book contains 12 chapters and an index.
Audience: Oriented to health professionals and students, the text is pri-
marily (though not exclusively) directed at the pharmaceutical profession.
Purpose: The author’s goal is to “…present the means for health pro-
fessionals to assume ownership of the issue of noncompliance with med-
ications for the patients for whom they provide care.” The focus is on ex-
amining opportunities for health professionals to improve adherence and
enhance patient care outcomes.
1920 n The Annals of Pharmacotherapy n 2007 November, Volume 41
Content: A very brief introductory chapter states the text’s purpose
and provides a general argument for the need to become involved in im-
proving patient adherence. Chapter 2 presents an overview of the scope
of nonadherence and issues related to it. It essentially outlines the con-
tent of the remainder of the text. Chapter 3, entitled “Drug Therapies
Leading to Noncompliant Activity,” also covers patient-related and
health professional factors, as well as health system barriers and con-
straints. The costs of nonadherence are discussed in Chapter 4, and the
definitions of adherence and its measurement are covered in Chapter 5.
Chapters 6 and 7 describe models for evaluating adherence and methods
for improving it. Concordance, the new term for compliance, and other
definitions are discussed in Chapter 8. Chapters 9, 10, and 11 consider
ethical issues, describe the role of health professionals, and present an
adherence case study on disease state management in older persons with
hyperlipidemia. The concluding chapter discusses future considerations
of patient adherence to medications.
Usability: As an introductory text on patient adherence, the most ap-
propriate audience would be health professionals and students with inad-
equate knowledge of and experience with patient nonadherence issues.
Practitioners and students who are already familiar with this problem and
who have had experience in helping patients to improve their medication
use will find this text of limited value. The book’s price is reasonable.
Highlights: Chapter 6 presents 5 primary models or theories on
which to evaluate patient adherence, from the Health Belief Model to the
Transtheoretical Model. The importance of a theoretical framework for
engaging in work related to patient adherence cannot be overstated. Ad-
vances in improving adherence are dependent on the development, test-
ing, and use of such models and theories. In Chapter 3, the author has
created a number of very useful tables on adherence rates by disease
state. They emphasize the relative importance of specific predictors of
nonadherence and adherence.
Limitations: The obvious limitation of this text is the manner in
which material is organized. Topics concerning definition, measurement,
barriers, and methods for improving adherence are primarily in one
chapter, although they are also discussed in other chapters. Most readers
would think that definitions should be presented in an initial chapter and
information on how to measure adherence would be in a chapter soon af-
ter. But most of the definitions are in Chapter 5, and the term concor-
dance is given a chapter of its own 3 chapters later. A third term, adher-
ence, is defined and used earlier, in Chapter 3, but other chapters remain
consistent with the book title, using the word compliance. Adherence
measurement is covered in Chapter 5 but entails only a 5 page discus-
sion. Advantages and disadvantages of each type of measurement and
the use of various measures in research versus practice are not discussed.
Various adherence improvement strategies could have been described in
greater detail. The Directly Observed Therapy strategy that has shown
success in improving adherence in tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS patients,
especially in developing countries, is not even mentioned.
Comparison with Other Related Books: This book joins a crowded
field of textbooks, guidebooks, and reference books on patient adher-
ence. Fincham’s Taking Your Medicine: A Guide to Medication Regi-
mens and Compliance for Patients and Caregivers covers some of the
same material but does not target health professionals. Compared with
books that do target health professionals and students, such as O’Dono-
hue and Levensky’s Promoting Treatment Adherence, or more compre-
hensive reference books, such as Christensen’s Patient Adherence to
Medical Treatment Regimens, Fincham’s text provides a resource of no
lesser or greater quality than resources currently available.
Summary: For more than 50 years, strategies and interventions to im-
prove patient nonadherence have been developed and tested, health pro-
fessionals and students have been exposed to this issue in their course-
work and clinical experiences, and thousands of articles and books have
been written about it. Thus, it is troubling that over those same 50 years,
rates of patient adherence have not improved much. Perhaps this book
will motivate some health professionals and students to seriously gain
ownership of the problem in order to better serve their patients.
www.theannals.com

Reviewer: Michael Montagne PhD, Senior Associate Dean, Mas-
sachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Boston, MA
Published Online, 9 Oct 2007, www.theannals.com
DOI 10.1345/aph.1K261
Cardiac Drug Therapy, 7th Edition
By M Gabriel Khan MD FRCP FACC. Published by Humana Press,
Totowa, NJ, 2007. ISBN 978-1-58829-904-8. Clothbound, xiii + 420 pp
(26 × 18.5 cm), $99. www.humanapress.com
Therapeutic Area: This publication focuses on cardiac pharma-
cotherapy.
Audience: The intended audience for this text includes cardiologists,
internists, and medical residents.
Purpose: The author’s intent is to help physicians understand the
pharmacotherapy of various diseases and the differences within cardio-
vascular drug classes that impact drug selection.
Content: A total of 22 chapters deal with cardiac pharmacotherapy.
Ten chapters are organized according to disease (eg, hypertension), and 9
are organized according to drug class (eg, calcium-channel blockers).
The drug therapy chapters that do not deal with controversies are orga-
nized like a pharmacology textbook. The disease state pharmacotherapy
chapters that do not deal with controversies are organized like a thera-
peutics textbook.
The chapters on β-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme in-
hibitors, calcium-channel blockers, hypertension, heart failure, and dys-
lipidemias are followed immediately by chapters on controversies asso-
ciated with these drugs (eg, “Calcium Channel Blocker Controversies”)
or diseases (eg, “Hypertension Controversies”). The 6 chapters devoted
to clinical controversies are new to this edition and are structured as fol-
lows: a controversial statement is made (eg, “Beta-blockers are not a
good initial choice for hypertension: true or false?”), followed by the au-
thor’s opinion stated in a brief paragraph or bulleted text.
Two of the last 3 chapters focus on effects of drugs on pregnancy and
lactation and effects of drug– drug interactions; the third discusses hall-
mark clinical trials and is a compilation of annotated bibliographies of
trials that have most impacted the author.
Usability: The references, appropriately cited at the end of each chap-
ter, are reasonably updated and predominantly use tertiary sources.
Highlights: Information is presented in sections about either a drug
class (regardless of disease state) or disease state pharmacotherapy,
which allows drug-related information to be presented in a variety of
contexts. This helps reinforce concepts and allows for in-depth assess-
ment.
Limitations: There are instances, especially in the chapters on clinical
controversies, when the author is overly critical of people who have stat-
ed opinions that are different from his. In the controversy about whether
β-blockers are a good initial choice for hypertension, he lambastes a
meta-analysis for including “randomized controlled trials with poor
methodology.” However, the studies with which he disagrees actually
were not of poor quality but used atenolol rather than other β-blockers.
In the author’s subsequent attempt to prove that β-blockers have clinical-
ly relevant pharmacologic differences, he cites heart failure studies
showing differential effects. He attributes the differences to differences
in the drugs rather than to the more likely scenario: differential recruit-
ment of African Americans in the trials.
Comparison with Other Related Books or Products: This book
has many useful observations and more drug information than most
physician-written books. However, it is inferior to the Pharmacotherapy
Self-Assessment Program, which is a module in cardiology for practic-
ing pharmacists, published by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy
Education. Cardiac Drug Therapy is not as balanced in presentation, the
www.theannals.com The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
New Publications
information is not as relevant for a pharmacy audience, and it was writ-
ten by a single author rather than by content experts for each chapter.
Reviewer’s Summary: This is an interesting book that provides de-
cent clinical and clinical trial observations, but it does not offer a definite
advantage over standard pharmacist-written cardiovascular textbooks.
Reviewer: C Michael White PharmD FCP FCCP, Associate Profes-
sor and Director, University of Connecticut/Hartford Hospital Evidence-
based Practice Center, Hartford, CT
Published Online, 9 Oct 2007, www.theannals.com
DOI 10.1345/aph.1K379
BOOKS RECEIVED
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adults.
By Annette U Rickel PhD and Ronald T Brown PhD. Published
by Hogrefe & Huber Publishers, Cambridge, MA 2007. ISBN
978-0-88937-322-8. Paperbound, viii + 80 pp. (25.5 × 18 cm),
$24.95. www.hhpub.com
Chemistry for Pharmacy Students: General, Organic and Natu-
ral Product Chemistry. By Satyajit D Sarker and Lutfun Nahar.
Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd., West Sussex, England,
2007. ISBN 978-0- 470-01781- 4. Paperbound, xi + 383 pp. (24.5
× 17 cm), $55. www.wiley.com
Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs for Children and Ado-
lescents, 2nd Revised Edition. By Kalyna Z Bezchlibnyk-Butler
BSc(Pharm) FCSHP and Adil S Virani BSc(Pharm) PharmD(A)
FCSHP. Published by Hogrefe & Huber Publishers, Cambridge,
MA, 2007. ISBN 978-0-88937-309-9. Ringbound, 346 pp. (25.5
× 20 cm), $69. www.hhpub.com
Clinical Malignant Hematology. Edited by Mikkael A Sekeres MD
MS, Matt E Kalaycio MD FACP, and Brian J Bolwell MD. Pub-
lished by McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2007. ISBN 978-0-07-
143650-2. Clothbound, xxii + 1201 pp. (28.5 × 22.5 cm), $195.
www.mcgraw-hillmedical.com
Drug Transporters: Molecular Characterization and Role in
Drug Disposition. Edited by Guofeng You PhD and Marilyn E
Morris PhD. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ,
2007. ISBN 978-0- 471-78491-3. Clothbound, xvi + 889 pp. (24 ×
16 cm), $150. www.wiley.com
Handbook of Pharmaceutical Public Policy. Edited by Thomas R
Fulda and Albert I Wertheimer PhD. Published by Pharmaceutical
Products Press, an Imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc., Bingham-
ton, NY, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7890-3059-7. Paperbound, xxii +
681 pp. (21.5 × 15.5 cm), $89.95. www.HaworthPress.com
Homeopathic Prescribing Pocket Companion. By Steven B Kayne
PhD MBA LLM MSc DAgVetPharm FRPharmS FCPP FIPharmM
FFHom MPS(NZ) FNZCP and Lee R Kayne PhD MRPharmS
MFHom(Pharm). Published by Pharmaceutical Press, an Imprint
of RPS Publishing, London, UK, 2007. ISBN 978-0-85369-697-
1. Paperbound, ix + 189 pp. (18.5 × 10.5 cm), $39.95.
www.pharmpress.com
Marketing for Pharmacists, 2nd Edition. By David A Holdford
RPh MS PhD. Published by American Pharmacists Association,
Washington, DC, 2007. ISBN 978-1-58212-106-2. Paperbound,
xi + 333 pp. (23 x 15 cm), $52. www.pharmacist.com
n 2007 November, Volume 41 n 1921
 Peripheral Brain for the Pharmacist. Published by the American Spirituality in Patient Care: Why, How, When, and What, 2nd
Pharmacists Association, Washington, DC, 2007. ISBN 978-1- Edition. By Harold G Koenig MD. Published by Templeton
58212-116-1. Features 29 durable laminated cards, drilled and Foundation Press, West Conshohocken, PA, 2007. ISBN 978-1-
shrink-wrapped with a metal ring (18.5 × 10 cm), $9.95. 59947-116-7. Clothbound, 264 pp. (20.5 × 14 cm), $21.95.
www.pharmacist.com. www.templetonpress.org
Arranges 30 core reference materials on lab coat pocket-sized,
Published Online, 18 Sept 2007, www.theannals.com
durable cards. Reference items include pediatric dosages, body
DOI 10.1345/aph.1BR07K
surface area equations and nomograms, treatment guidelines, lab
test values, drug–herb interactions, and more.
Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation: A How-To Manual.
Published by the American Pharmacists Association, Washington,
DC, 2007. ISBN 978-1-58212-115-4. Paperbound, xiii + 144 pp.
(28 × 21.5 cm), $125. www.pharmacist.com

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1922 n The Annals of Pharmacotherapy n 2007 November, Volume 41 www.theannals.com

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